Heavyweights to slog it out in this year’s Masters awards
THE shortlists have been announced for this year’s TheBusinessDesk.com West Midlands Business Masters awards.
And in the Manufacturer and Exporter categories it is shaping up to be a heavyweight fight between some of the region’s big name firms.
In the Manufacturer category, last year’s winner Sertec – an automotive industry manufacturer – will compete against precision metal components producer Brandauer – which won the Exporter category last year – and Cradley Heath’s Lift & Engineering Services.
And in the Exporter category Coventry steering systems manufacturer Pailton takes on Birmingham aerospace firm Bromford Industries and PCMS Group, which provides IT services to the retail sector.
The shortlists were drawn up by our eminent judging panel which met at Birmingham Science Park Aston yesterday.
The panel consisted of Peter Mathews, chairman and managing director of Lye-based Black Country Metals, CBI regional director Richard Butler, Acme Whistles managing director Simon Topman, Birmingham Science Park CEO Dr David Hardman, Rowan Crozier, sales and marketing director of Brandauer (who didn’t vote in the Manufacturer and Exporter categories) and Dani Saveker, former manufacturer and founder of Families in Business.
In the Newcomer category they selected sports nutrition firm Grenade UK, telecoms business Roar and social media specialist VoxPopMe for the shortlist.
In the Innovator category the three shortlisted firms are Birmingham’s Dunlop Motorsport, Coventry’s Safety Flex Barriers and Solihull’s Koolmill Systems.
In the Pride category – which celebrates achievement in corporate social responsibility (CSR) – Birmingham signs and graphics firm Hollywood Monster will be up against commercial radio group Orion Media, also based in Birmingham, and, up for its second award, PCMS.
And in the Ambassador category the three people the judges think most successfully ‘bat’ for the region are D-Drill’s managing director Julie White, Beverley Nielsen, director of employer engagement at Birmingham City University and Geoff Inskip, chief executive of Centro.
The winners in the six categories will now be chosen from the shortlists by readers of TheBusinessDesk.com and will be presented with their awards at a glittering ceremony to be held at lunchtime on Thursday May 16 at the Hyatt hotel in Birmingham.
Confirmed sponsors of the event are Chiltern Railways, accountancy firm Baker Tilly, law firm Higgs & Sons, advisory firm Clearwater Corporate Finance and the aforementioned Hollywood Monster.
TheBusinessDesk.com editor Andy Coyne said: “We’re really pleased with both the quantity and quality of entries we received for this year’s awards and I think the judging panel has done a cracking job in selecting extremely strong shortlists in all six categories.
“It’s now up to our readers to select the winners and we will be giving them the opportunity to do so, category by category, over the coming days.
“Everything is leading up to what should be an outstanding event on May 16 when once again we will be rewarding and celebrating the very best West Midlands businesses.”
Tickets for the event are now on sale and can be purchased online via the link below.
